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J. G. CLARK.

Gravitating Alarm Pistol. No. 24,349. Patented. J une7, 1859.

A I IIIII' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN G. CLARK, OF AUGUSTA, GEORGIA. ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, D. G. COTTING, AND

I V SAML. W. HATCH, OF SAME PLACE.

BURGLAR-ALARM PISTOL.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 24,349, dated June '7, 18 59.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN G. CLARK, of Augusta, in the county of Richmond and State of Georgia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Gravitating Alarm- Pistols; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1, is a front View of my alarm pistol applied to a door. Fig. 2, is a side View showing the same in section, and Fig. 8, is a horizontal section.

Similar letters of reference, in each of the several figures indicate corresponding parts.

The nature of my invention consists 1st of a pistol with one or a series of barrels having percussion nipples at their lower ends, when arranged to slide on the vertical suspension stem or guide of a gravitating hammer or otherwise arranged to be fired by the concussion of its capped nipples and the suspended hammer.

It consists, 2nd, in holding the pistol suspended for the purpose herein described by means of a spring or other equivalent elastic device arranged between the stem of the hammer and the central guide bore of the pistol.

To enable others, skilled in the art, to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A, represents the suspended hammer, its stem or suspension guide a, b, is attached to a portable bracket 0, which is to be inserted between the top of a door and the framing thereof or in any other similar place so as to detach automatically when the door, window or other device is operated by outsiders. This hammer has its top surface made flat and its under surface convex or rounding so as to accomplish a perfect explosion of'the caps when concussion between it and the same takes place.

B, is the pistol. It has a central passage through it so as to fit over the stem or guide a of the hammer; it also is furnished with one or a series of barrels which are arranged relatively to the central bore, in the manner shown. At the lower ends of these barrels, tubular cap nipples suitable for receiving percussion caps are arranged as shown so that the charge of the barrels may be fired by concussion of the caps on the nipples with the hammer.

C, is a spring arranged in the central bore of the pistol between the stem or guide of the hammer and the pistol so as to hold the pistol elevated high enough above the hammer to allow suflicient movement of the hammer and pistol toward each other to insure the explosion of the caps. In practice it might be desirable to only explode caps. In this case a blank pistol with blank nipples could be adopted, but as this is substantially embraced in my former application, I do not wish to include it here.

The operation is as follows: The alarm being loaded with powder, capped and applied to the door by means of the bracket, when the door opens, the bracket detaches, the alarm falls, its hammer strikes the floor, rebounds and meets the descending pistol which was released from the spring by the jar, and the concussion between the pistol and hammer explodes the caps and then fires the charge, the sound of which awakens the sleeper and warns him of danger.

As I am the first one who ever arranged a pistol on the vertical suspension guide of a hammer forming part of a burglar alarm, I do not limit myself to the use of the same with a device which gives an alarm by detaching from the door and falling onto the floor when the door is opened; but desire to be protected in its use broadly however employed provided it, the pistol be suspended on its vertical guides, its caps exploded and its charges fired by the concussion of the pistol and hammer therefor.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A pistol arranged on a vertical suspension guide of a hammer so that the explosion of its caps and the firing of its charges may be accomplished by concussion of the pistol and hammer, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. Holding the pistol suspended by the means and in the particular manner herein described, for the purpose set forth.

JOHN G. CLARK.

Witnesses:

G. YORKE A'r Lian, EDW. F. BROWN. 

